http://thefireshow.com
Sat, 27 Oct 2018 19:55:15 +0000Wed, 13 Sep 2017 02:00:39 +0000hourly160https://backtracks.fmenThe Fire Showhttp://thefireshow.comhttps://feeds.backtracks.fm/feeds/series/64e2997e-94eb-11e7-9e95-0e5a4884b288/images/main.jpg?1540728008323http://thefireshow.com
episodicMobymoby@thefireshow.com (Moby)moby@thefireshow.comyesfullSun, 28 Oct 2018 12:00:00 +000000:23:47noToday's focus: The first year of Amazon FBA, how a store starts, the first few mistakes, the first wins, and what to expect if YOU are starting an Amazon FBA store. My guest today is Allison Nevins, entrepreneur, friend, and great company, who started her Amazon FBA store in 2016.

]]>Today's focus: The first year of Amazon FBA, how a store starts, the first few mistakes, the first wins, and what to expect if YOU are starting an Amazon FBA store. My guest today is Allison Nevins, entrepreneur, friend, and great company, who started her Amazon FBA store in 2016.

]]>fullThu, 25 Oct 2018 11:00:00 +000000:06:30nofullWed, 03 Oct 2018 14:00:00 +000000:03:31noDon't every say this to an investor.]]>Don't every say this to an investor.]]>fullTue, 14 Aug 2018 11:49:00 +000000:30:53noWelcome back to The Fire Show, the podcast from Austin about entrepreneurs, business strategy, and working your face off.Today, I’m bringing to you the second panel I recorded at the FUND conference in April, brought to Austin for the first time every by FUND, Deloitte, Wilson Sonsini, and Entrepreneur Network.In the first panel, we had investors and entrepreneurs, such as Jay Samit and BackGril Ventures amon many, talk about how meet investors, make an impression, and eventually raise capital for your company. In this panel, we have a different focus, i.e investing and venture capital ecosystem in Texas. What problems do Texas entrepreneur face in this area? Why is there a perception of having to go to the east coast of the west coast for money? What are investors around us looking for that they can't find here? I mean, texas has no shortage of money. The panelists introduces themselves as they speak, but we have on the panel Bob Metacafe, creator of the Ethernet Cable who was on the Tim Ferriss show recently, Paul o'brien founder of idea Tech Ventures, Joe Merrill and Amanda Eakin from Sputnik ATX, Martin Martinz from Founders Insittue, and more.This panel was live streamed on the ENtrepreneur Network, and shared to a audience of more than 4MM.Huge shout out to the FUND conference and MediaTech Ventures for helping me set this up.I also invite you to the FUND conference on Oct 24,25th in Chicago, where I will be live-streaming the hell out of panels, interviewing people.Ladies and gents, enjoy.]]>Welcome back to The Fire Show, the podcast from Austin about entrepreneurs, business strategy, and working your face off.Today, I’m bringing to you the second panel I recorded at the FUND conference in April, brought to Austin for the first time every by FUND, Deloitte, Wilson Sonsini, and Entrepreneur Network.In the first panel, we had investors and entrepreneurs, such as Jay Samit and BackGril Ventures amon many, talk about how meet investors, make an impression, and eventually raise capital for your company. In this panel, we have a different focus, i.e investing and venture capital ecosystem in Texas. What problems do Texas entrepreneur face in this area? Why is there a perception of having to go to the east coast of the west coast for money? What are investors around us looking for that they can't find here? I mean, texas has no shortage of money. The panelists introduces themselves as they speak, but we have on the panel Bob Metacafe, creator of the Ethernet Cable who was on the Tim Ferriss show recently, Paul o'brien founder of idea Tech Ventures, Joe Merrill and Amanda Eakin from Sputnik ATX, Martin Martinz from Founders Insittue, and more.This panel was live streamed on the ENtrepreneur Network, and shared to a audience of more than 4MM.Huge shout out to the FUND conference and MediaTech Ventures for helping me set this up.I also invite you to the FUND conference on Oct 24,25th in Chicago, where I will be live-streaming the hell out of panels, interviewing people.Ladies and gents, enjoy.]]>fullFri, 10 Aug 2018 11:42:00 +000000:40:21noHello! Welcome to the Fire Show, Austin's podcast about entrepreneurship strategy, and working your face off. This is your host, Moby, I interview the best in Austin, from the Mayor, to Director of SXSW, Designer of the Airport, Austin Woman Entrepreneur of the Year, and more.It’s a fun time.During SXSW this year, I was waiting around a bar and started chatting to the guy next to me, all because he just had a really cool cowboy hat. A minute or two of chatting about Austin and SXSW later, I asked him what he did. Turned out, Dave was the Director of Video Strategy for Circa news, a video-driven news platform. And it just so happened that I was interviewing people about social media strategy at SXSW for this show.I invited Dave to come in 2 days later, and boom! We recorded the interview.In this episode, we build a fictional company and do a case study on how we can build out it’s video strategy for maximum brand awareness, customer interests, and eventually revenue. It’s perfect if you have a company or brand that you want to drive more attention to using video, which is king.So a little bit about Dave, outside of the fact he likes dope hats, and a little bit about Circa.Circa is an online news platform, which started in 2012 as a video-driven IOS application. It was acquired in 2015 by Sinclair Broadcast group , a publicly traded telecommunication company in the US is the largest TV station operator by number of stations (more than 200), and by total coverage. Circa ideology is to present information with "no spin, just facts and transparency" and in "an irreverent tone" that will allow the site's target audience (young adults 18 to 35 years old) to form its own opinions. It’s actually rated for its High Factual reporting on multiple media bias fact checker websites.And Dave. Dave, who you can find on Twitter or Instagram as @Trausneck, started of as a Sports Editor at a student newspaper in 2002, then a New Producer at multiple Tv stations. He used his experience to transition in Social Media Management for the Sinclair Group, and moved from Assistant Manager to Manager to now Director of Social Media for CIrca news.I’m grateful to have run into Dave when I did, and share this with you. I hope, using the knowledge Dave drops, and more, you fucking kill it for your company or brand.Ladies and gents, enjoy.

]]>Hello! Welcome to the Fire Show, Austin's podcast about entrepreneurship strategy, and working your face off. This is your host, Moby, I interview the best in Austin, from the Mayor, to Director of SXSW, Designer of the Airport, Austin Woman Entrepreneur of the Year, and more.It’s a fun time.During SXSW this year, I was waiting around a bar and started chatting to the guy next to me, all because he just had a really cool cowboy hat. A minute or two of chatting about Austin and SXSW later, I asked him what he did. Turned out, Dave was the Director of Video Strategy for Circa news, a video-driven news platform. And it just so happened that I was interviewing people about social media strategy at SXSW for this show.I invited Dave to come in 2 days later, and boom! We recorded the interview.In this episode, we build a fictional company and do a case study on how we can build out it’s video strategy for maximum brand awareness, customer interests, and eventually revenue. It’s perfect if you have a company or brand that you want to drive more attention to using video, which is king.So a little bit about Dave, outside of the fact he likes dope hats, and a little bit about Circa.Circa is an online news platform, which started in 2012 as a video-driven IOS application. It was acquired in 2015 by Sinclair Broadcast group , a publicly traded telecommunication company in the US is the largest TV station operator by number of stations (more than 200), and by total coverage. Circa ideology is to present information with "no spin, just facts and transparency" and in "an irreverent tone" that will allow the site's target audience (young adults 18 to 35 years old) to form its own opinions. It’s actually rated for its High Factual reporting on multiple media bias fact checker websites.And Dave. Dave, who you can find on Twitter or Instagram as @Trausneck, started of as a Sports Editor at a student newspaper in 2002, then a New Producer at multiple Tv stations. He used his experience to transition in Social Media Management for the Sinclair Group, and moved from Assistant Manager to Manager to now Director of Social Media for CIrca news.I’m grateful to have run into Dave when I did, and share this with you. I hope, using the knowledge Dave drops, and more, you fucking kill it for your company or brand.Ladies and gents, enjoy.

]]>fullMon, 06 Aug 2018 11:00:00 +000000:27:33noToday, I’m sitting down with Claire Winslow, President of Best Practice Media, a social media marketing agency focused on helping their clients make more revenue. She also brought SMW to Austin, where I interviewed other people you have listened to, or will listen to soon on the show - such as Meredith Rose from last week. She’s very involved in the marketing ecosystem in Austin and the US, so if you’re in those circles, you probably know of Claire.Today, with Claire we’re talking social media from a strategic perspective. We can all tweet and make ads and sponsored posts, but marketing is as investment. Social media marketing takes resources, and it’s an investment. How do we make the most of this investment? Let’s find out.This was filmed in the Startup studio at Galvanize with the help of Kevin Chin from MediaTech Ventures, a media & technology advisory firm. They just launched their Educational platform and incubator by the way, at collective.mediatech.ventures. If you are in the creative and tech communities in Austin, and want to learn from the best, or teach others, or work on your idea, Check them out at collective.mediatech.ventures.You can get in touch with Claire @ClaireWinslow, or on bestpracticemedia.com.Ladies and gents, enjoy.]]>Today, I’m sitting down with Claire Winslow, President of Best Practice Media, a social media marketing agency focused on helping their clients make more revenue. She also brought SMW to Austin, where I interviewed other people you have listened to, or will listen to soon on the show - such as Meredith Rose from last week. She’s very involved in the marketing ecosystem in Austin and the US, so if you’re in those circles, you probably know of Claire.Today, with Claire we’re talking social media from a strategic perspective. We can all tweet and make ads and sponsored posts, but marketing is as investment. Social media marketing takes resources, and it’s an investment. How do we make the most of this investment? Let’s find out.This was filmed in the Startup studio at Galvanize with the help of Kevin Chin from MediaTech Ventures, a media & technology advisory firm. They just launched their Educational platform and incubator by the way, at collective.mediatech.ventures. If you are in the creative and tech communities in Austin, and want to learn from the best, or teach others, or work on your idea, Check them out at collective.mediatech.ventures.You can get in touch with Claire @ClaireWinslow, or on bestpracticemedia.com.Ladies and gents, enjoy.]]>fullWed, 13 Jun 2018 11:00:00 +000000:34:48noHow, as a business, do you not create mediocre content?How do you stand out?How can you make content for your audience that they give a shit about?Today, I’m interviewing the perfect person to answer this: Meredith Rose,social media strategist, instructor, and speaker, who joined me after her panel at Social Media Week Austin, about making hella-good contentIn this episode, we break down how to strategize and plan your content creation, ow to promote it, and how not to fuck it up.Enjoy.Meredith’s Twitter: @msmeredithroseMeredith’s IG: @msmeredithrose]]>How, as a business, do you not create mediocre content?How do you stand out?How can you make content for your audience that they give a shit about?Today, I’m interviewing the perfect person to answer this: Meredith Rose,social media strategist, instructor, and speaker, who joined me after her panel at Social Media Week Austin, about making hella-good contentIn this episode, we break down how to strategize and plan your content creation, ow to promote it, and how not to fuck it up.Enjoy.Meredith’s Twitter: @msmeredithroseMeredith’s IG: @msmeredithrose]]>http://thefireshow.com/meredith-rose/
full

]]>Tue, 15 May 2018 11:00:00 +000000:25:23noYou’ve never heard anything like this before on The Fire Show. We have a total of 12 guests! Today, I’m over at the FUND conference, which was held in Austin for the first time in April, brought over by Deloitte, Wilson Sonsini, and Entrepreneur Network. These include investors, entrepreneurs, and founders of incubators. We’re talking about how the hell entrepreneurs can get funding, from conferences, emailing people, and making impressions on others.Fun fact, this was also live-streamed on the Entrepreneur Network, and shared to 4MM people.... 4MM did not watch it, but hey, the show is getting bigger. You can also watch snippets of this show on my youtube channel, Not That Moby.I also invite you to the FUND conference on Oct 24, 25th in Chicago, where I will be live-streaming the hell out of panels, interviewing people.Panelists:Robert Suffoletta - Partner Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (@wilsonsonsini) Eva Yazhari - Beyond Capital Fund (@BeyondCapital) Swati Chaturvedi - Propel(x) (@Swati_Propelx) Hubert -Zajicek - Health WildCatters Seed stage healthcare (@HubertZajicek)Shelley Bell - CEO + Founder of Black Girl Ventures (@BGirlVentures) Jay Samit - Independent Vice Chairman, Deloitte + Author of Disrupt You (@jaysamit)Mathew Mccall (@MatthewMcCall), CEO Crowdvest Chuck Pettid - Partner Republic Crowdfunding Portal (@joinrepublic)

]]>You’ve never heard anything like this before on The Fire Show. We have a total of 12 guests! Today, I’m over at the FUND conference, which was held in Austin for the first time in April, brought over by Deloitte, Wilson Sonsini, and Entrepreneur Network. These include investors, entrepreneurs, and founders of incubators. We’re talking about how the hell entrepreneurs can get funding, from conferences, emailing people, and making impressions on others.Fun fact, this was also live-streamed on the Entrepreneur Network, and shared to 4MM people.... 4MM did not watch it, but hey, the show is getting bigger. You can also watch snippets of this show on my youtube channel, Not That Moby.I also invite you to the FUND conference on Oct 24, 25th in Chicago, where I will be live-streaming the hell out of panels, interviewing people.Panelists:Robert Suffoletta - Partner Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (@wilsonsonsini) Eva Yazhari - Beyond Capital Fund (@BeyondCapital) Swati Chaturvedi - Propel(x) (@Swati_Propelx) Hubert -Zajicek - Health WildCatters Seed stage healthcare (@HubertZajicek)Shelley Bell - CEO + Founder of Black Girl Ventures (@BGirlVentures) Jay Samit - Independent Vice Chairman, Deloitte + Author of Disrupt You (@jaysamit)Mathew Mccall (@MatthewMcCall), CEO Crowdvest Chuck Pettid - Partner Republic Crowdfunding Portal (@joinrepublic)

He’s an entrepreneur - as CEO of AuthorMedia, a company helping author get more sales with their books, through providing web design and marketing services.

He’s a podcaster - the co-host of Novel marketing Podcast, a podcast which dives deep into the art of promoting a novel. If you’re an existing or spinning novelist, check it out.

He’s an author, having written and released Courtship in Crisis, a book about dating habits in the US.He’s also not helping me edit and polish up my podcast, so I know he’s listening. If you’re a podcaster needing some production help, reach out to Thomas. Most importantly, he’s a friend whose opinion and perspective on technology I really wanted to pick. This is what the episode is about. We talk tech, consumer’s expectations, and what the future of media may look like.

Thomas can be reached at http://www.thomasumstattd.com/ or @ThomasUmstattd.]]>Thomas Umstattd (http://www.thomasumstattd.com/) (@ThomasUmstattd) is a lot of things.

He’s an entrepreneur - as CEO of AuthorMedia, a company helping author get more sales with their books, through providing web design and marketing services.

He’s a podcaster - the co-host of Novel marketing Podcast, a podcast which dives deep into the art of promoting a novel. If you’re an existing or spinning novelist, check it out.

He’s an author, having written and released Courtship in Crisis, a book about dating habits in the US.He’s also not helping me edit and polish up my podcast, so I know he’s listening. If you’re a podcaster needing some production help, reach out to Thomas. Most importantly, he’s a friend whose opinion and perspective on technology I really wanted to pick. This is what the episode is about. We talk tech, consumer’s expectations, and what the future of media may look like.

Thomas can be reached at http://www.thomasumstattd.com/ or @ThomasUmstattd.]]>http://thefireshow.com/blog/
fullWed, 18 Apr 2018 13:34:18 +000000:21:07noSurprise! There’s 1 more episode for the mini-series Tech Journalism. It’s with my friend, Ellen Chang, who I met during Startup Week in Austin. She is not a tech reporter, but a journalism who writes for The Street, US News and World Report, and more.

She’s written about stocks, entrepreneurs, personal finance, energy, cyber security, and has been mentioned in CBS News, Yahoo News, MSN money, and more. We talk about her starting in journalism is highschool, the difference between tech and finance journalism, Austin, and more. She’s obviously a good reporter, because she also prompts me to talk about my day job as a Engineer, which I don’t talk about at all. ]]>Surprise! There’s 1 more episode for the mini-series Tech Journalism. It’s with my friend, Ellen Chang, who I met during Startup Week in Austin. She is not a tech reporter, but a journalism who writes for The Street, US News and World Report, and more.

She’s written about stocks, entrepreneurs, personal finance, energy, cyber security, and has been mentioned in CBS News, Yahoo News, MSN money, and more. We talk about her starting in journalism is highschool, the difference between tech and finance journalism, Austin, and more. She’s obviously a good reporter, because she also prompts me to talk about my day job as a Engineer, which I don’t talk about at all. ]]>http://thefireshow.com/blog/
full19Fri, 13 Apr 2018 18:22:00 +000000:08:23noThis episode is about exactly what the title says, and the cut down audio version of a video done by my friend Sujan Patel.For reference, Sujan Patel is a serial entrepreneur who’s running 4 companies right now. He’s a marketer, author, writer, speaker. We’re working on videos about marketing tactics together, which you can check out on YouTube Page Sujan Patel.Now, I will shut up.Enjoy.

]]>This episode is about exactly what the title says, and the cut down audio version of a video done by my friend Sujan Patel.For reference, Sujan Patel is a serial entrepreneur who’s running 4 companies right now. He’s a marketer, author, writer, speaker. We’re working on videos about marketing tactics together, which you can check out on YouTube Page Sujan Patel.Now, I will shut up.Enjoy.

]]>fullFri, 23 Mar 2018 11:35:00 +000000:28:10noThis interview is with Mike Cronin (@michaelccronin ), Technology Reporter for Austin-American Statesman. He’s an award-winning investigative journalist with two decades of experience across beats including technology, startups, finance, growth and economy, cybersecurity, science, space, government, higher and K-12 education, the military and religion. Honors include the Peabody, the duPont Gold Baton, the duPont Silver Baton, a Murrow and others.

]]>This interview is with Mike Cronin (@michaelccronin ), Technology Reporter for Austin-American Statesman. He’s an award-winning investigative journalist with two decades of experience across beats including technology, startups, finance, growth and economy, cybersecurity, science, space, government, higher and K-12 education, the military and religion. Honors include the Peabody, the duPont Gold Baton, the duPont Silver Baton, a Murrow and others.

]]>http://thefireshow.com/mike-cronin/
fullFri, 23 Feb 2018 19:34:00 +000000:09:36noFollowing up on last week’s episode with Melissa about how Marketing Consultants work, today I’m bringing to you the audio from a recent video from Sujan and I, What To Ask Marketing Consultants before hiring them, i.e. making sure you’re investing your money in the right agency or consultant to get the most results.You can check out this video and future videos with Sujan and I on his YouTube Channel, Sujan Patel.

]]>Following up on last week’s episode with Melissa about how Marketing Consultants work, today I’m bringing to you the audio from a recent video from Sujan and I, What To Ask Marketing Consultants before hiring them, i.e. making sure you’re investing your money in the right agency or consultant to get the most results.You can check out this video and future videos with Sujan and I on his YouTube Channel, Sujan Patel.

]]>http://thefireshow.com/marketing-consultants-ii-how-to-vet-them-before-hiring-sujan-patel/
fullFri, 16 Feb 2018 12:00:00 +000000:21:24noMelissa Huisman (@mk_huis) is the Founder of Diamond Block (https://diamondblockcreative.com/) , a creative agency that works with small business and startups to clarify their marketing strategy, fine-tune messaging and positioning, and then developing on-brand assets, including visual identity, websites, and engaging content.

In this episode, we talk about her perspective as a professional- What brands miss in their marketing campaigns - How entrepreneurs in general can get too attached to their ideas and take feedback from the market way too seriously, or not at all-Why it’s important to take a step back and look at the story you’re telling before going into and just create create create

If you enjoy this, let me know @notthatmoby on Twitter or @mk_huis on Instagram.

Next week, it’s a special episode with me and Sujan Patel, Author, Entrepreneur, Speaker, and we discuss the next level of Marketing Consultants. What do you ask someone you’re hiring to help you on marketing before hiring them?

Stay tuned.

]]>Melissa Huisman (@mk_huis) is the Founder of Diamond Block (https://diamondblockcreative.com/) , a creative agency that works with small business and startups to clarify their marketing strategy, fine-tune messaging and positioning, and then developing on-brand assets, including visual identity, websites, and engaging content.

In this episode, we talk about her perspective as a professional- What brands miss in their marketing campaigns - How entrepreneurs in general can get too attached to their ideas and take feedback from the market way too seriously, or not at all-Why it’s important to take a step back and look at the story you’re telling before going into and just create create create

If you enjoy this, let me know @notthatmoby on Twitter or @mk_huis on Instagram.

Next week, it’s a special episode with me and Sujan Patel, Author, Entrepreneur, Speaker, and we discuss the next level of Marketing Consultants. What do you ask someone you’re hiring to help you on marketing before hiring them?

Stay tuned.

]]>http://thefireshow.com/melissahuisman/
fullFri, 19 Jan 2018 12:11:29 +000000:49:17noArt Markman, is a professor of Psychology and Marketing at the University of Texas at Austin and Founding Director of the Program in the Human Dimensions of Organizations, a new set of the interdisciplinary curriculum at the University of Texas.

His research focuses on how people perceive things to be similar, and the psychological processes involved in decision making, catheter learning, and analogy comparison.

Art has written six books on psychology, leadership, and organizations change, with another on the way. His latest one is Brain Briefs, Answers to the Most (and Least) Pressing Questions about Your Mind, where he along with Bob Duke PhD, answers questions such as:

--Why do we love kitten videos so much? --Does time speed up as we get older? --Should we play brain games? --Can we make ourselves happy?

2 Guys on Your Head, a radio show as well as a podcast about psychology and how humans make decisions.

I met Art at a panel he was on and connected with him shortly after.

There was a period in which I wanted to do an episode on decision-making, but I thought the concept of writing a book was more interested at this moment. Who knows? We might record another episode sometime!

Alright, so this episode is about writing a book. Specifically, tactics on:

--The process of writing a solo book --What’s the difference between writing a research-based book, whether that’s first-hand research or second-hand research --How to get started --What you need to sell. Hint: it’s a lot

]]>Art Markman, is a professor of Psychology and Marketing at the University of Texas at Austin and Founding Director of the Program in the Human Dimensions of Organizations, a new set of the interdisciplinary curriculum at the University of Texas.

His research focuses on how people perceive things to be similar, and the psychological processes involved in decision making, catheter learning, and analogy comparison.

Art has written six books on psychology, leadership, and organizations change, with another on the way. His latest one is Brain Briefs, Answers to the Most (and Least) Pressing Questions about Your Mind, where he along with Bob Duke PhD, answers questions such as:

--Why do we love kitten videos so much? --Does time speed up as we get older? --Should we play brain games? --Can we make ourselves happy?

2 Guys on Your Head, a radio show as well as a podcast about psychology and how humans make decisions.

I met Art at a panel he was on and connected with him shortly after.

There was a period in which I wanted to do an episode on decision-making, but I thought the concept of writing a book was more interested at this moment. Who knows? We might record another episode sometime!

Alright, so this episode is about writing a book. Specifically, tactics on:

--The process of writing a solo book --What’s the difference between writing a research-based book, whether that’s first-hand research or second-hand research --How to get started --What you need to sell. Hint: it’s a lot

]]>http://thefireshow.com/how-do-i-write-a-book/
fullFri, 12 Jan 2018 12:00:00 +000000:38:02noRemember when the beard wasn’t a thing? That is when Eric Bandholz, along with his kickass cofounders Lindsey Reinders and Jeremy McGee, started Beardbrand.

It started off as his solo project, one of many, then became a collaborative side-hustle, and then a full-time business that is now a prominent name in the men's grooming space.

It’s been quite a journey for Eric, his team, and BeardBrand, from starting this up in Spokane with $30, to finding his co-founders, being featured on NY times, to being on Shark Tank, and amassing more than 58M views on YouTube.

I met Eric at a conference in the summer, and wanted to learn more about how he and his team used content, bootstrapping, and community engagement to build a successful brand. In this episode, we discuss:

--The value of content when it comes to a brand, since BeardBrand has more than $58M views on their YouTube channel --How he met his co founders at a startup weekend --How influencer marketing works and what to do / not do --How relationships should be long-term. Don’t always try to make the sale --The value of a distributed marketing strategy --What he would tell himself when he started his entrepreneurship journey

My biggest Lesson: Surround yourself with people who get it - your wins and failures. And I don’t mean, the dumb Rick and Morty circle-jerk in which people tell each other how great they are because they do XYZ when they’re the same as everyone else, but because you want people who understand what you went through to get that one small win.

]]>Remember when the beard wasn’t a thing? That is when Eric Bandholz, along with his kickass cofounders Lindsey Reinders and Jeremy McGee, started Beardbrand.

It started off as his solo project, one of many, then became a collaborative side-hustle, and then a full-time business that is now a prominent name in the men's grooming space.

It’s been quite a journey for Eric, his team, and BeardBrand, from starting this up in Spokane with $30, to finding his co-founders, being featured on NY times, to being on Shark Tank, and amassing more than 58M views on YouTube.

I met Eric at a conference in the summer, and wanted to learn more about how he and his team used content, bootstrapping, and community engagement to build a successful brand. In this episode, we discuss:

--The value of content when it comes to a brand, since BeardBrand has more than $58M views on their YouTube channel --How he met his co founders at a startup weekend --How influencer marketing works and what to do / not do --How relationships should be long-term. Don’t always try to make the sale --The value of a distributed marketing strategy --What he would tell himself when he started his entrepreneurship journey

My biggest Lesson: Surround yourself with people who get it - your wins and failures. And I don’t mean, the dumb Rick and Morty circle-jerk in which people tell each other how great they are because they do XYZ when they’re the same as everyone else, but because you want people who understand what you went through to get that one small win.

]]>http://thefireshow.com/beardbrand/
fullFri, 05 Jan 2018 12:01:00 +000000:30:45noBorn in Chicago, and raised in Memphis, Vernice wanted to be a cop since she was a young girl. She did that by taking a break from Middle Tennessee State University and joining the Nashville police department - becoming the first female african-american motorcycle police officer in Nashville.

Returning to graduate, From there, she served as a police officer in Arizona, and then joined the US Marines and subsequently joined the Naval Air Station in Florida, where she was #1 in her class as a combat pilot.

Not only that, but she crushed it at the Marine camp she was at before being deployment - she was named Camp Female Athlete of the Year, twice won the Camp's annual Strongest Warrior Competition, and was a running back for the San Diego Sunfire women's football team. Later, in Iraq, she became Vernice became America's first African American female combat pilot.

And now, after 14 years in the military, 2 delopments, 8 awards, she is a Professional Speaker as well as a Speaking Coach. In 2011, she wrote her book Zero to Breakthrough: The 7-Step, Battle-Tested Method for Accomplishing Goals that Matter. Today, she’s sitting with me.

I had the chance to sit down with Vernice and discuss. Well, a lot.

Her journey from being in the military to becoming a speaker The concept of Deliberate Practice and how you can be good at what you don’t know anything about Where passion and guts come from The idea of working for free at what you want to do and then charging for it. I’m doing this right now btw. How not making a decision is actually a decision

]]>Born in Chicago, and raised in Memphis, Vernice wanted to be a cop since she was a young girl. She did that by taking a break from Middle Tennessee State University and joining the Nashville police department - becoming the first female african-american motorcycle police officer in Nashville.

Returning to graduate, From there, she served as a police officer in Arizona, and then joined the US Marines and subsequently joined the Naval Air Station in Florida, where she was #1 in her class as a combat pilot.

Not only that, but she crushed it at the Marine camp she was at before being deployment - she was named Camp Female Athlete of the Year, twice won the Camp's annual Strongest Warrior Competition, and was a running back for the San Diego Sunfire women's football team. Later, in Iraq, she became Vernice became America's first African American female combat pilot.

And now, after 14 years in the military, 2 delopments, 8 awards, she is a Professional Speaker as well as a Speaking Coach. In 2011, she wrote her book Zero to Breakthrough: The 7-Step, Battle-Tested Method for Accomplishing Goals that Matter. Today, she’s sitting with me.

I had the chance to sit down with Vernice and discuss. Well, a lot.

Her journey from being in the military to becoming a speaker The concept of Deliberate Practice and how you can be good at what you don’t know anything about Where passion and guts come from The idea of working for free at what you want to do and then charging for it. I’m doing this right now btw. How not making a decision is actually a decision

]]>http://thefireshow.com/flygirl/ ‎
fullFri, 22 Dec 2017 00:50:00 +000000:39:21noMy roots allow me to connect with two entrepreneurial ecosystems, US and Pakistan. It has allowed me to connect with both successful and aspiring entrepreneurs in Pakistan, do workshops when I visit, and also interview the ones that are helping accelerate the growth of startups over there.

Today, I’m bringing you one of those facilitators, Nabeel Qadeer. Well, calling him a facilitator would be an understatement. Nabeel is:

Director of Entrepreneurship at PITB, which is the equivalent of a state ministry. The chairman of that board, Umar Saif, is also a remarkable technologist and visionary, and I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing him on my previous podcast.

Head of Plan9, an incubator in Lahore, my hometown. Plan9 sends startups to the US twice a year as part of a partnership with the US State Department and the City of Austin. In fact, this episode was recorded a few days after a cohort of those startups visited their business.

Anchor / Content producer of Pakistan’s first business-reality show, Idea Croron Ka “A Million Dollar Idea”, a show watched by 5-7M people. The focus of our episode is the creation and execution of this show.

This episode was recorded in Capital Factory, to which I just won a 6-month membership in a pitch competition at the University of Texas

In the middle of the show, we move rooms to avoid the heat pouring down and the creaking of the chairs... so, yeah just letting you know ha.

As always, let me know you’re listening in by tweeting @fireshowpodcast or @notthatmoby. You can continue this conversation with Nabeel by tweeting him @nabeelaq

Ladies, gents, lizard people running the world, enjoy!

]]>My roots allow me to connect with two entrepreneurial ecosystems, US and Pakistan. It has allowed me to connect with both successful and aspiring entrepreneurs in Pakistan, do workshops when I visit, and also interview the ones that are helping accelerate the growth of startups over there.

Today, I’m bringing you one of those facilitators, Nabeel Qadeer. Well, calling him a facilitator would be an understatement. Nabeel is:

Director of Entrepreneurship at PITB, which is the equivalent of a state ministry. The chairman of that board, Umar Saif, is also a remarkable technologist and visionary, and I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing him on my previous podcast.

Head of Plan9, an incubator in Lahore, my hometown. Plan9 sends startups to the US twice a year as part of a partnership with the US State Department and the City of Austin. In fact, this episode was recorded a few days after a cohort of those startups visited their business.

Anchor / Content producer of Pakistan’s first business-reality show, Idea Croron Ka “A Million Dollar Idea”, a show watched by 5-7M people. The focus of our episode is the creation and execution of this show.

This episode was recorded in Capital Factory, to which I just won a 6-month membership in a pitch competition at the University of Texas

In the middle of the show, we move rooms to avoid the heat pouring down and the creaking of the chairs... so, yeah just letting you know ha.

As always, let me know you’re listening in by tweeting @fireshowpodcast or @notthatmoby. You can continue this conversation with Nabeel by tweeting him @nabeelaq

Ladies, gents, lizard people running the world, enjoy!

]]>http://thefireshow.com/nabeelqadeer/
full11Fri, 01 Dec 2017 12:01:00 +000000:41:21noFor people listening who don’t know what SXSW is, it’s a 10-day festival about all things tech, film, and music in the middle of March in Austin, TX.

That’s the simplified answer. More than 70,000 people come down to Austin for this, and the whole city buzzes. You walk down the street, and you can feel it. I’m not kidding.

To say that SXSW is a catalyst is an understatement. From President Obama, tech CEOs, film star, music moguls, entrepreneurs, all the way to ordinary folks like me, all come together for a 10-day of non-stop exposure to speakers, product launches, marketing campaigns, concerts. Films are launched during this time, deals are made between companies large and small, and if you thought Austin parties - it’s on a whole another level.

I sat down with Hugh Forrest, Director of SXSW, to learn about the behind the scenes management of SXSW interactive, the tech part of the festival which has showcased speakers such as President Obama, Peter Thiel, Gary Vaynerchuk, Tim Ferriss, and more.

Some gemsHow thinking long-term when it comes to relationships can pay off The fallacy that the value of attending an event like SXSW is that you’ll meet a rich investor by accident How to get feedback from a large number of customers, and how to sustain improvement at scale Making the most of your SXSW experience

Where to find Hugh: Twitter: @Hugh_W_Forrest Medium: @hugh_w_forrest

If you’re coming to SXSW this year, holla. Let’s meet.

As always, my wonderful friends, enjoy.

]]>For people listening who don’t know what SXSW is, it’s a 10-day festival about all things tech, film, and music in the middle of March in Austin, TX.

That’s the simplified answer. More than 70,000 people come down to Austin for this, and the whole city buzzes. You walk down the street, and you can feel it. I’m not kidding.

To say that SXSW is a catalyst is an understatement. From President Obama, tech CEOs, film star, music moguls, entrepreneurs, all the way to ordinary folks like me, all come together for a 10-day of non-stop exposure to speakers, product launches, marketing campaigns, concerts. Films are launched during this time, deals are made between companies large and small, and if you thought Austin parties - it’s on a whole another level.

I sat down with Hugh Forrest, Director of SXSW, to learn about the behind the scenes management of SXSW interactive, the tech part of the festival which has showcased speakers such as President Obama, Peter Thiel, Gary Vaynerchuk, Tim Ferriss, and more.

Some gemsHow thinking long-term when it comes to relationships can pay off The fallacy that the value of attending an event like SXSW is that you’ll meet a rich investor by accident How to get feedback from a large number of customers, and how to sustain improvement at scale Making the most of your SXSW experience

Where to find Hugh: Twitter: @Hugh_W_Forrest Medium: @hugh_w_forrest

If you’re coming to SXSW this year, holla. Let’s meet.

As always, my wonderful friends, enjoy.

]]>http://thefireshow.com/how-to-manage-mega-festival
fullFri, 17 Nov 2017 18:09:00 +000000:45:53noThis episode I interview Tolly MosLEE, Co-host of the ILYSM Podcast + Todd Nevins, Host of Go Hunt Life Podcast, and Jamal, founder of Big Mouf Media about why podcasts are a big part of the future of consumption, what makes a good podcast, and how to start one.

If you’d like to learn more about how to start a podcast, check out thefireshow.com/how-to-start-a-podcast

Tolly is the co-host of the ILYSM Podcast, an Austin and culture focused podcast under Austin 360’s umbrella. She is also a co-owner of an aerial dance company, as well as a freelance writer.

On the Go Hunt Life podcast, Todd explores stories of people that were once living normal lives with normal jobs but pulled the ripcord to reinvent and live a life of purpose and passion breaking world records, traveling the globe and building startups from anywhere.

He’s also the Founder of CLICK Placement, an agency dedicated to working with startups and businesses designing and optimizing their paid search marketing campaigns on Google and Amazon. He also has a course on Udemy about podcasting, Podcasting: Zero to Launch on Apple Podcasts in 30 Days, if you’re interested in learning about editing, which I don’t cover in detail on my post on thefireshow.com

Jamal is Founder and CEO of Bigmuff, a platform that engages subscribers with content about business, economics, and current events by using insightful soundbites and content created by podcasters and other AV media outlets.

Enjoy.

]]>This episode I interview Tolly MosLEE, Co-host of the ILYSM Podcast + Todd Nevins, Host of Go Hunt Life Podcast, and Jamal, founder of Big Mouf Media about why podcasts are a big part of the future of consumption, what makes a good podcast, and how to start one.

If you’d like to learn more about how to start a podcast, check out thefireshow.com/how-to-start-a-podcast

Tolly is the co-host of the ILYSM Podcast, an Austin and culture focused podcast under Austin 360’s umbrella. She is also a co-owner of an aerial dance company, as well as a freelance writer.

On the Go Hunt Life podcast, Todd explores stories of people that were once living normal lives with normal jobs but pulled the ripcord to reinvent and live a life of purpose and passion breaking world records, traveling the globe and building startups from anywhere.

He’s also the Founder of CLICK Placement, an agency dedicated to working with startups and businesses designing and optimizing their paid search marketing campaigns on Google and Amazon. He also has a course on Udemy about podcasting, Podcasting: Zero to Launch on Apple Podcasts in 30 Days, if you’re interested in learning about editing, which I don’t cover in detail on my post on thefireshow.com

Jamal is Founder and CEO of Bigmuff, a platform that engages subscribers with content about business, economics, and current events by using insightful soundbites and content created by podcasters and other AV media outlets.

Enjoy.

]]>http://thefireshow.com/why-your-brand-needs-a-podcast/
fullFri, 10 Nov 2017 12:00:00 +000000:39:53noThis is a recorded talk over at the TechMap Cofounder Event. A sought after public speaker, Melanie is the founder and CEO of Wellshift, a corporate wellness company, the Founder of WELL, wellness events for the community, and International Potluck. She’s an entrepreneur, speaker, and just a joy to know as a person. In her talks, she blends in wellness, science, and plain common sense which is not that common. If you’re like to learn more about Melanie, check out melanieweinberger.com, i.e weinberger.com. Links are also available on the website thefireshow.com.

]]>This is a recorded talk over at the TechMap Cofounder Event. A sought after public speaker, Melanie is the founder and CEO of Wellshift, a corporate wellness company, the Founder of WELL, wellness events for the community, and International Potluck. She’s an entrepreneur, speaker, and just a joy to know as a person. In her talks, she blends in wellness, science, and plain common sense which is not that common. If you’re like to learn more about Melanie, check out melanieweinberger.com, i.e weinberger.com. Links are also available on the website thefireshow.com.

]]>http://thefireshow.com/happiness-of-entrepreneurship/
fullFri, 03 Nov 2017 16:40:00 +000000:48:57noToday, whenever that is for you, I am sitting down with Gordon Daugherty, Managing Director is Cap FAC, Investor, and recovering Startup Executive. Over a 29-year career, Gordon has worked at Startups in Strategy, Operations, Marketing, in multiple countries. Currently, he is on the board of multiple startups, and invests in some as well. he’s the Managing Director of Capital Factory and leads the Accelerator program in downtown Austin.In this episode, we go through the common milestones in an entrepreneur's journey, blind spots that come up at different stages, and what to do when you’re starting out. I get the chance to ask some questions I wonder about, and hear from entrepreneurs regularly:What does entrepreneurs passion even come from?What are bigger blocks that entrepreneur have? Why would we want a cofounder? How should we start looking for one?What do I need to have as a minimum in order to start convos with investors?And, this one was cool, what is the difference between a product and a company? Because investors invest in companies, not in products. We might be working on something that is a product, but investors want to see the institutes that can sustain that products development,launch, and marketing. Gordon knows a lot more than I ever even ask about. And I do mean, a lot. In fact, to learn even more from Gordon, check his website, shockwaveinnovations.com where has 100s of hours of content around pretty much everything entrepreneurship. If you like tactical content like we talk on this show, and want more, keep listening, but also check out shockwave innovations.Ladies and gents, I hope you enjoy this episode. If you’d like to follow us on the Facebooks, Twitters, and Instagrams, we are @fireshowpodcast. If you like this podcast, leave a review on iTunes. Hope you enjoy this episode.

]]>Today, whenever that is for you, I am sitting down with Gordon Daugherty, Managing Director is Cap FAC, Investor, and recovering Startup Executive. Over a 29-year career, Gordon has worked at Startups in Strategy, Operations, Marketing, in multiple countries. Currently, he is on the board of multiple startups, and invests in some as well. he’s the Managing Director of Capital Factory and leads the Accelerator program in downtown Austin.In this episode, we go through the common milestones in an entrepreneur's journey, blind spots that come up at different stages, and what to do when you’re starting out. I get the chance to ask some questions I wonder about, and hear from entrepreneurs regularly:What does entrepreneurs passion even come from?What are bigger blocks that entrepreneur have? Why would we want a cofounder? How should we start looking for one?What do I need to have as a minimum in order to start convos with investors?And, this one was cool, what is the difference between a product and a company? Because investors invest in companies, not in products. We might be working on something that is a product, but investors want to see the institutes that can sustain that products development,launch, and marketing. Gordon knows a lot more than I ever even ask about. And I do mean, a lot. In fact, to learn even more from Gordon, check his website, shockwaveinnovations.com where has 100s of hours of content around pretty much everything entrepreneurship. If you like tactical content like we talk on this show, and want more, keep listening, but also check out shockwave innovations.Ladies and gents, I hope you enjoy this episode. If you’d like to follow us on the Facebooks, Twitters, and Instagrams, we are @fireshowpodcast. If you like this podcast, leave a review on iTunes. Hope you enjoy this episode.

]]>http://thefireshow.com/successful-startup-roadmap/
fullFri, 27 Oct 2017 11:00:00 +000000:27:06noMelinda Garvey founded Austin Woman Magazine 14 years ago, then ATXMan, and now Daily Dot, a daily podcast about kickass women all over the planet. Melinda has served as Entrepreneur in Residence for McCombs Business School, has won awards by other publication, business association, and entrepreneurship collectives. In this episode, I get the chance to ask her a few questions.We talk about:What made her want to do a magazine?Having never created a business before, what was the constant battle of doubt v. resilience? How did resilience win?Why is she branching off into podcasts?Is her vision for the advancement of women something she had all her life? Why has that been the mission she has dedicated herself to?She was funny, honest, and honestly, made me feel that I’m not the only one who has major ups and down in a day because of what I’m pursuing.Also, shout out to women entrepreneurs. On my podcast, I interviewed quite a few and I think about nuggets from each episode, sometimes multiple, every single week. Also, my mother is an entrepreneur, and I am proud as hell.Ladies and gents, enjoy.

]]>Melinda Garvey founded Austin Woman Magazine 14 years ago, then ATXMan, and now Daily Dot, a daily podcast about kickass women all over the planet. Melinda has served as Entrepreneur in Residence for McCombs Business School, has won awards by other publication, business association, and entrepreneurship collectives. In this episode, I get the chance to ask her a few questions.We talk about:What made her want to do a magazine?Having never created a business before, what was the constant battle of doubt v. resilience? How did resilience win?Why is she branching off into podcasts?Is her vision for the advancement of women something she had all her life? Why has that been the mission she has dedicated herself to?She was funny, honest, and honestly, made me feel that I’m not the only one who has major ups and down in a day because of what I’m pursuing.Also, shout out to women entrepreneurs. On my podcast, I interviewed quite a few and I think about nuggets from each episode, sometimes multiple, every single week. Also, my mother is an entrepreneur, and I am proud as hell.Ladies and gents, enjoy.

When do you need it?How do you get it? Rich friends? Rich uncles? Our network? Where does the damn money come from?And also, what can you start doing right now so that when you do need the injection of cash 1-2-3-4-5 years down the liens, there’s people who trust you and are willing to help you get it?

Today, I’m sitting down with Bart Bohn, friend, and serial creator of companies as well as incubators, to answer these questions for entrepreneurs.

]]>Funding funding funding.

When do you need it?How do you get it? Rich friends? Rich uncles? Our network? Where does the damn money come from?And also, what can you start doing right now so that when you do need the injection of cash 1-2-3-4-5 years down the liens, there’s people who trust you and are willing to help you get it?

Today, I’m sitting down with Bart Bohn, friend, and serial creator of companies as well as incubators, to answer these questions for entrepreneurs.

]]>http://thefireshow.com/raising-money-101/
fullFri, 06 Oct 2017 11:00:00 +000000:10:27noWe can't not work with people, regardless of who we are, or what we do. Corporate job. Entrepreneurship. Hell, we even plan our vacations with people..And it can be hard, especially in a business. How do we make sure we treat our partners well? How do we make sure people get their shit done? How do we work on something that’s a part of us and build it with other people?

]]>We can't not work with people, regardless of who we are, or what we do. Corporate job. Entrepreneurship. Hell, we even plan our vacations with people..And it can be hard, especially in a business. How do we make sure we treat our partners well? How do we make sure people get their shit done? How do we work on something that’s a part of us and build it with other people?

]]>http://thefireshow.com/5-navigating-co-founder-relationships-mokshika-sharma/
fullFri, 22 Sep 2017 11:00:00 +000000:45:11nohttp://thefireshow.com/mayoradler
fullMon, 18 Sep 2017 11:30:00 +000000:05:09nonever fall in love with your idea, fall in love with the problem. Great entrepreneurs have identified, observed and exploited a problem. How they do it which is your idea is less important. But if you can identify a profitable problem and then figure out a way to actually solve that problem to the right people, that's a million times better than coming up with an idea. Idea as we've all heard or a dime a dozen, nobody cares about ideas, execution is the only thing that matters. But let's say you've identified a problem then it's going to take some research and discussion and really figuring out how people are solving this problem today.

]]>never fall in love with your idea, fall in love with the problem. Great entrepreneurs have identified, observed and exploited a problem. How they do it which is your idea is less important. But if you can identify a profitable problem and then figure out a way to actually solve that problem to the right people, that's a million times better than coming up with an idea. Idea as we've all heard or a dime a dozen, nobody cares about ideas, execution is the only thing that matters. But let's say you've identified a problem then it's going to take some research and discussion and really figuring out how people are solving this problem today.

]]>http://thefireshow.com/mayoradler
fullFri, 15 Sep 2017 12:17:00 +000000:14:53noToday, Saaket and I have a quick chat about failure, what happens to us when the F-word comes in our lives and work, and how to deal with it.

]]>Today, Saaket and I have a quick chat about failure, what happens to us when the F-word comes in our lives and work, and how to deal with it.

Our attention is not ours. We have to wrestle it back from everything and choose where to give it. We have to be proactive, to be able to work on what we enjoy, to take time for ourselves, to not feel like we’re on a treadmill.

Today, to discuss this and much more, I'm sitting with Austin's Mayor Steve Adler and asking questions I have:What does your morning routine look like? You know, the important stuff that happens before you reach the office. As mayor, there's no way to be fully prepared for every issue that pops up screaming for attention. How does he quickly get up to speed on critical and urgent issues in order to make effective decisions. When you have such a public image and are looked up to as a leader, who do you reach out to when you're having your hardest moments? What's the most unconventional place you receive advice and grow as a person and leader? (Vi)What are your metrics of success? What’s the thought process look like of setting those metrics?What are your core values?How do you walk into a room that you know may not like you because of your political beliefs and manage to get your point across to a potentially hostile audience?

Our attention is not ours. We have to wrestle it back from everything and choose where to give it. We have to be proactive, to be able to work on what we enjoy, to take time for ourselves, to not feel like we’re on a treadmill.

Today, to discuss this and much more, I'm sitting with Austin's Mayor Steve Adler and asking questions I have:What does your morning routine look like? You know, the important stuff that happens before you reach the office. As mayor, there's no way to be fully prepared for every issue that pops up screaming for attention. How does he quickly get up to speed on critical and urgent issues in order to make effective decisions. When you have such a public image and are looked up to as a leader, who do you reach out to when you're having your hardest moments? What's the most unconventional place you receive advice and grow as a person and leader? (Vi)What are your metrics of success? What’s the thought process look like of setting those metrics?What are your core values?How do you walk into a room that you know may not like you because of your political beliefs and manage to get your point across to a potentially hostile audience?